Your favorite wood to burn

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After all the work it takes to split ELM i just LOVE to burn that stuff + most elm trees are ugly anyway . :lol:

Its hard to have 1 favorite wood as it take many kinds of wood mix to make good fires during the year.

One year i tried to burn all OAK ......... it was a good idea in theory but dont work very well burning 24/7 to heat your home.

Oak , Elm , Hackbarry , Mulberry , Locust , Hedge (Osage Orange) , Hickory . I like to burn some hard wood and mid range wood .
 
Free wood
 
We have about a cord of apple..I pretty much save it for below zero or single digits..It has its own row in the shed..The odd shaped pieces are great for late afternoon early evening..A full round or two at night...love the way it burns.
 
Roospike said:
One year i tried to burn all OAK ......... it was a good idea in theory but dont work very well burning 24/7 to heat your home.

What do you mean? I love burning Oak 24/7, works great for me.
 
The oak probably ran you out with too much heat!

My favorite wood to burn is hedge - the ultimate btu content makes me feel good knowing that every log I cut is getting me the most heat for the work. I like burning oak, but always have a slight bit of remorse thinking how good and juicy a steak would be if I had used the wood in the grill as opposed to the insert.

Corey
 
Oak. Lots of it and it's free except for my labor.
 
Roospike said:
One year i tried to burn all OAK ......... it was a good idea in theory but dont work very well burning 24/7 to heat your home.

What the heck kind of oak were you burning? If it wasn't for oak here, we'd be pretty cold depending on jackpine and the occasional cherry!
 
Freewood , preferably delivered by a local tree service.
 
Free, dry, cut, split tree...
 
Dylan said:
Corey,

Is the source of all that hedge, the forest or from yard trees?
HaHAha! Dylan said "FOREST" ..........This is Kansas and Nebraska ...........Forest would described a field of corn maybe .... :lol:

The common place for Hedge (Osage Orange) is from "Hedge rows" as we have around here in the Mid-West . A lot of Hedge rows around farms and field's but have to fight with the farmers over it because it make a life time fence post.

Had to be careful with Hedge with the older stoves as it got SUPER HOT if you had an out of control fire.
Hedge in as fire place .......Forget it , too many sparks.

Hedge is at the very top of the list for BTU''s tho. Last listing i seen was rated at 33 mbtu /cord.

(broken link removed to http://www.nfs.unl.edu/NFSPUBS/FuelwoodSpecs.pdf)

(broken link removed)

http://hedgeapple.com/
 
Dogwood!!!!

So hard that a sharp chisel chain wants to bounce off of it while bucking.
 
Sandor said:
Dogwood!!!!

So hard that a sharp chisel chain wants to bounce off of it while bucking.

Shows the same BYU value as oak.
Dogwood 27. mBTU/cord

Thats your favorite wood ? How's it split ???
 
I have to say red oak. Cuts and splits good and burns great. And I get it all for FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Vintage 181 said:
We have about a cord of apple..I pretty much save it for below zero or single digits..It has its own row in the shed..The odd shaped pieces are great for late afternoon early evening..A full round or two at night...love the way it burns.

That brings up a point I'm curious about...how many folks feed their fires full rounds for long burns? I always use splits (some pretty big ones, but splits none the less) because I don't have seasoned rounds laying around...always gets split. Full rounds makes sense to me for long burns, I just never do it. And I don't count 4" diameter branches and bramble as `rounds'...
 
Roospike said:
Sandor said:
Dogwood!!!!

So hard that a sharp chisel chain wants to bounce off of it while bucking.

Shows the same BYU value as oak.
Dogwood 27. mBTU/cord

Thats your favorite wood ? How's it split ???

Not sure how Dogwood tested the same as oak. You never split dogwood because its impossible, and it rarely gets over 8-10 inches in diameter. These trees grow very slow.

Lots of Dogwoods died of some disease that came through a fews years back. Thought I would try burning it since I was cutting the dead out anyway. To my surprise, burning a couple of 6 inches rounds lasted a long time, rarely flamed, and resembled lit charcoal. Not the kind of wood you go out and get, but if I run into a dead standing one, its a treat for the coldest nights. When they die, they stand for years without decay.
 
I have to say regular Apple. I had maybe a face cord last year and burned it early in the season. Gave off excellent heat and lasted a good bit despite my newbie stove operation. Also smelled really good!!
I also burned a Fl. dogwood that was standing dead. DBH was maye 8". Even though the rounds were small, it was a bear to split and it also burned very well. Most dogwoods around here that are declining have gotten a virus called anthracnose. You can't cure it, only slow it down by trimming the deadwood as it appears. Keep your pruning saws clean as it can spread.
 
I heard from a stove sales guy that burning all northern red oak would eventually corrodde my stove because of the high acid content of the wood? Is this true or was he just trying to sell me on the biobrick he gave me a free sample of. I have a-lot of red oak to burn and I have never heard of a wood being high in acid content. Confirm please. I love to burn it, it is my favorite wood as I got 3 cord free and it burns all night. Kind of a pain to wait for it to dry 2 years, but it is worth it.
 
michaelthomas said:
I heard from a stove sales guy that burning all northern red oak would eventually corrodde my stove because of the high acid content of the wood? Is this true or was he just trying to sell me on the biobrick he gave me a free sample of. I have a-lot of red oak to burn and I have never heard of a wood being high in acid content. Confirm please. I love to burn it, it is my favorite wood as I got 3 cord free and it burns all night. Kind of a pain to wait for it to dry 2 years, but it is worth it.
You better go with the Bio- bricks and stay away from the red oak .......

Where are you located so i can come pick up all that "bad red oak"? :lol:
 
michaelthomas said:
I heard from a stove sales guy that burning all northern red oak would eventually corrodde my stove because of the high acid content of the wood? Is this true or was he just trying to sell me on the biobrick he gave me a free sample of. I have a-lot of red oak to burn and I have never heard of a wood being high in acid content. Confirm please. I love to burn it, it is my favorite wood as I got 3 cord free and it burns all night. Kind of a pain to wait for it to dry 2 years, but it is worth it.

My pre-EPA stove has been digesting five cords of red and white oak a year for twenty-one years. Mostely red. No corrosion yet. Tell him to take two bio-bricks with a large glass of water and call you in the moring (edited-morning).
 
BrotherBart said:
michaelthomas said:
I heard from a stove sales guy that burning all northern red oak would eventually corrodde my stove because of the high acid content of the wood? Is this true or was he just trying to sell me on the biobrick he gave me a free sample of. I have a-lot of red oak to burn and I have never heard of a wood being high in acid content. Confirm please. I love to burn it, it is my favorite wood as I got 3 cord free and it burns all night. Kind of a pain to wait for it to dry 2 years, but it is worth it.

My pre-EPA stove has been digesting five cords of red and white oak a year for twenty-one years. Mostely red. No corrosion yet. Tell him to take two bio-bricks with a large glass of water and call you in the moring.

And my pre EPA heater (see signature) also has been digesting red & white oak with no signs of corrosion.

So I concur with BB's medical advice, expect for this disclaimer:

Its mourning, not "moring", for he is definitely going to be mourning, BB. :lol:

Dave
 
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